ST. PETERSBURG -- It was left-hander Andrew Miller's turn Monday to come off the disabled list and join the Indians stretch drive.

On Tuesday it will be Josh Donaldson's turn.

There was no surprise about Miller's activation. The Indians confirmed it Sunday in Toronto before they completed a four-game series against the Blue Jays.

But there was a bit of mystery about Donaldson. Yes, he was joining the Indians at Tropicana Field, but no one would say exactly when the three-time All-Star would be activated. After all, he hasn't played in a big league game since May 28 because of strained left calf.

"We'll activate Josh on Tuesday and start him at third base," said manager Terry Francona before Monday night's game. "Jose Ramirez will move to second base and Jason Kipnis will go to center field."

The Indians acquired Donaldson on Aug. 30 from Toronto. They put him on the disabled list right after the deal and sent him on a rehab because of the calf injury. He played four games, one with Class AAA Columbus and three with Class AA Akron, and went 3-for-12 with two homers.

"I feel great physically," said Donaldson, before going out to take batting practice with his new team. "I feel really good. I passed everything I wanted to accomplish and they wanted me to accomplish."

As for what he needed to prove to himself in his four-game rehab assignment, Donaldson said, "I wanted to go out there and go back to back and see how well I was recovering after games. Being able to sprint without something happening. So far everything has went really well."

The Indians, who entered Monday's game with a magic number of five, have 19 regular season games left to play. Will it be enough to get Miller and Donaldson close to peak form for the postseason?

Regarding Miller, Francona said, "He's raring to go. So that's exciting. He doesn't have a minor league game under his belt. He might not command, I hope he does, but if he doesn't we've got 19 games. As much as he feels he wants to pitch - almost - he's going to. We're excited about that."

Miller, who has made three trips to the disabled list this season, has made only 27 appearances.

After Donaldson makes his Tribe debut on Tuesday night, he'll be available off the bench on Wednesday.

"We've got Thursday off and he'll play Friday," said Francona. "I'll probably just check with him every day. I told him when we get some of these longer games I'll probably take him out early. We want to watch his volume early on. But he promised he'd communicate with me too. We'll check with him every day."

Asked what his expectations are for the next 19 games, Donaldson said, "My expectations are to go out there and help this team win. Whether it's offensively, defensively, whatever it may be. I feel like I'm in a good position right now. Anytime my body is able to do the things I want it to do, I'm going to have success. If I have success, this team will have success."